Comments on: Spelt, Honey and Walnut Bread

By: Odelle Smith

Odelle Smith — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:33:29 +0000

Great recipe! I too share the passion for ‘spelt flour’, the nuttiness & flavour that it imparts to any bread is unbeatable. I added semi-dried apricots, sultanas & pecans to my bread & it’s a wonderful amalgamation of flavours. My best filling to have with this bread is lovely ripe Brie, Cambazola cheese with black grapes, Bartlett Pears sliced. I butter a few slices of bread and indulge myself with soft cheese eaten together with pears & grapes…..gorgeous!
I also make wholemeal & spelt soda bread which is beautiful eaten with thick smoked bacon & eggs or goes ever so well with strawberry preserve…food at it’s best, no preservatives, a handful of bran, medium oatmeal & wheat-germ, it takes some beating in the taste department, also it’s quick, easy and never again could I possibly eat ‘bought bread’, there’s no comparison!
Thanks for highlighting how good spelt flour is, once tasted, converted……
Odelle.

By: bakies

bakies — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:47:01 +0000

Great recipe!! I just made the bread today and it turned out delicious!! I used wholemeal flour instead of spelt flour. Love the texture of the bread especially when eaten warm.

http://bakies.blogspot.com/2010/07/honey-and-walnut-bread.html

By: mpishiroy

mpishiroy — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:15:14 +0000

Good morning, I made a loaf yesterday and, basically, it was very nice. Not being very experienced at this, I found that with the initial mixing the dough was a lot drier than I anticipated and wondered if the water quantity stated was sufficient. The texture was quite fine and close, not really like the pictures shown. I used an egg yolk glaze but when cooked, the appearance was very dark so next time I shall use milk or a beaten egg. What does 50g of honey translate to in spoons ? I think cooking in a fan oven at 200 degrees for 35 mins may also have been a little too long. Helpful feedback to what I have said would be appreciated !
Roy.

By: Madalene

Madalene — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:14:04 +0000

Dear Roy,

Thank you for your comments on this recipe.
I’m not sure if you are located in England, if so it’s in the middle of the summer and whole grain flours, especially spelt flour require a bit more water when it’s really hot. In the winter the water content would be sufficient. I normally adjust my water content when it’s very hot, add a extra 20 – 50 ml all depends on the outside temperature and what kind of flour I’m using. White flour is normally less thirsty than whole grains. Also the age of your flour would make a difference, the older the flour the less water it contains, the fresher the flour the more it naturally contains. Bread baking is a bit of a science and no two days will you get exactly the same result, most bakers you will speak to will always say that they had to make minor adjustments every time they bake.

I hope this does not out you off though, it’s fun and very satisfying once you understand the dough.

Your correct about the egg yolk, it could cause the bread to become really dark, milk is a good alternative. It sound to me as if your oven is a touch hotter than mine.

I weigh all my ingredients even water because you get a far more accurate and constant measure. 50g of honey should be equivalent to 2 tbs.

I baked the bread in my fan electric oven at 200degrees for 35 minutes, bread should be baked at a high temperature to ensure you get a decent crust, perhaps if your oven is slightly hot you could turn it down a tad, but I recommend no lower than 190 degrees. Most bakers ovens operate at 220degrees C and what they do is flash cold water into the oven when they place the loaf inside, this helps the crust to form, nice and crispy.
Make sure you place the bread in the middle of the oven.

Happy Baking Roy,

Kind Regards
Madalene

By: scandilicious

scandilicious — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:41:38 +0000

Am with you on the spelt, I’ve been baking spelt bread for about ten years now and the flavour is so much better than regular wholemeal bread. It’s also an easy dough to work with I find (a blessing when you bake bread often!). The only thing I do differently from your method is I let the dough sit in the fridge overnight before baking it off, the slow cold fermentation seems to add a mellowness to the bread. Great post

By: Janie UK Thermomix

Janie UK Thermomix — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:41:23 +0000

Hi Maddy, I love to grind the spelt in my Thermomix first – it only takes 2 mintes at Speed 10 and gives a wonderful extra dimension to the finished bread flavour. My best ever sandwich was homemade tikka paste (recipe in “Fast and Easy Indian Cooking”) and mayonnaise with leftover roast chicken and rocket, on homemade bread of course – my son Graham said it was the best sandwich he’d ever had!

By: Gala

Gala — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:47:38 +0000

Your bread looks delicious and that sandwich description made me drool….!

By: Coco

Coco — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:31:37 +0000

The best sandwich that I’ve ever made was with rye bread and braded Parasol mushrooms, a little bit of Dijon and mozarella.
I’ve made sandwich and take it to the forest where I picked onother basket of mushrooms.